


The Telvanni Master

by Shadylex



Category: Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Mentions of Slavery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 10:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30087681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadylex/pseuds/Shadylex
Summary: A collection of stories where each chapter brings us a closer insight to the elusive person known as Lorana Alithar, Master Telvanni Wizard.(Tags will be updated as story progresses)
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 3





	1. The Merchant

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! Welcome to my first published fic on the world wide web!
> 
> This idea just sort of stole my mind and I finally go the courage to post it publicly to encourage the writing. It'll probably spread to my other characters once each of them have finished so please look out for those future stories.
> 
> But I have to thank all my friends who encouraged my writing and shared crazy headcanons with each other that resulted in this end product. Enjoy!

Navos Aleleran finished putting the final touches on his stall just as the morning crowd began to filter in. He woke up particularly early today to meet the delivery boat to inspect his new shipments of jewelry. It was the final step in a long list of planning and scheming that he hoped would get him recognition from House Hlaalu.

He thanked the Three that the mining company accepted his offer; he had it on good authority that the gems coming out of that mine shaft were of exceptional quality and would be perfect for jewelers. For a reasonable pay and maximum profit, Navos would purchase the gems from the mining company raw and then have it shipped to a jeweler for refinement and casting. Then he would have sole control over selling these gems in this area.

With this, he hoped that House Hlaalu would recognize his skill in trade and elevate his family into a higher position. That was for another time though.

Today was just a simple morning in Balmora, and he was just a simple trader looking to sell his wares.

He expected a slow crowd and not many purchases today. Gems of this quality would have to be marked at a higher price than most people could afford in this town. However, he was set up close to the Redoran Kinhouse, and he knew a few of the noble ladies there might want to look for new gems to decorate their hands and necks. If he could get just one of their attention, it would be the next step in his grand plan.

Navos Aleleran had time, though, so he basked in the morning light and waited out the day.

By early afternoon, there was a bigger crowd and he had actually made a few sales. None with the larger gem inlays, but a few of the smaller rings and pure silver necklaces. Still, Navos had his hopes up and was playing the crowd as much as he could.

Further down the thoroughfare he could hear a bit of a murmur and a parting of the crowd. Normally, this would be the sign of some important noble or representative coming into town. It was usually good for businesses too, new blood running through town and picking up goods along the way. So Navos restocked his stall and put his best pieces out front in hopes of catching whoever was making such a fuss today.

It was only after the crowd parted did he wish he had set up shop somewhere else.

This was no Redoran noble coming to visit the Kinhouse, nor another Hlaalu representative coming for a visit. Oh no, this was something much more dangerous and potentially life threatening.

Two guards, dressed in overlapping treated fungi plates, flanked who can only be described as a Telvanni Master. Dressed in a modest robe, but the recognizable swirls and spirals of the Telvanni House symbol were emblazoned proudly on the cloth. Her hood was currently down and that allowed him to see her glancing at every stall down the line and then dismissing them just as fast. 

Why a Telvanni Master would be out among the people and not in their Tower was a question Navos really didn’t want to think on. He just wanted her gone and past his stall. He heard stories and rumors of adventurers who had tried to talk to a Telvanni Master and suffered for the simple reason they were bothering them. The lucky ones were just teleported out into a random part of Vvardenfell. The unlucky ones had to be scooped up into an urn and sent back to their families. 

Navos felt his blood chill as he realized that the Telvanni was locked on his stall and was coming straight at him. He took in a deep breath, said his prayers to the Three, and put on a forced smile.

“W-Welcome, my Lady!” he greeted, hoping she didn’t notice his stutter. “We have new shipments of gems and jewelry for your perusal. Is there anything in particular you are looking for?”

The Telvanni didn’t respond to him, not even glancing up at his person, but took to examining the necklaces and amulets that had the largest gems fitted onto them. She picked one up off the rack - a brilliantly clear sapphire set in swirling silver arcs - and held in the light. Behind her the two guards stood like statues, spears at the ready, and practically creating a forcefield around his stall. No one was coming near and Navos didn’t blame them. He was partial to having all his limbs attached and not turned to ash.

He was so focused on holding his nerves down that he still flinched when the Telvanni spoke up.

“These gems are of a quality that would be useful for my research. By chance you know who supplies you with these gems? I would like to speak to them.”

By Almalexia’s tits, Navos was going to burst into flames. Forget getting recognized by House Hlaalu, if he could stand a single negotiation conversation with a Telvanni he would consider himself blessed. They didn’t listen to reason or haggling or even the law sometimes. They followed rules of their own whims and if something displeases them, then the object of their displeasure will just simply disappear.

“That… would be me,” he answered. “I get them from a mining company in the area and have them sent to a jeweler for refinement. I simply sell the end product.”

“And get a bonus from purchasing the raw materials cheap and selling the processed goods high,” she answered back smoothly. “But that does not matter. What matters is that I am interested in these gems, and would like to negotiate a deal. I promise it will be acceptably profitable for your business.”

Well that was… different from what he was expecting. Navos thought the Telvanni would just outright demand for the materials and teleport away back into her Tower. But if this one was open to negotiating…

“What are your terms?” he asked.

The Telvanni’s grin shouldn’t have been as predatory as it was, yet Navos felt like he had just fallen right into a trap.

“Whatever price you are paying, I’ll pay a third more for an exclusive shipment on gems this size and larger,” she answered, holding up the amulet in her hand. “And same quality too. Can’t just give me a bunch of gems to find out they’re cloudier than an ashstorm.”

Normally, Navos would jump at such a deal. He would pay out a portion to the miners to get these gems and then turn it around to get a net income from selling to this Telvanni. The _problem_ was that almost all of his gems were of the quality she was searching for, and that meant he would be left with nothing to send to his jeweler to turn into jewelry!

“While your offer is quite agreeable, it would leave me nothing to sell on my stand. How can I run a stall with no product to sell?”

“Because I only want a once a month shipment of these gems. Whatever you get on the side I do not care for,” the Telvanni answered. “Plenty of gems for refinement and selling, wouldn’t you say? If you have such a spread of gems for display here then I would say your mining operation will be quite fruitful for the coming years. Surely a box a month won’t put a dent in your plans, hm?”

Except that most of the gems of that size _were_ of that quality and took a whole month to gather an amount worthy of a shipment. This Telvanni was trying to gouge him out of his whole operation with barely anything left for himself!

“I apologize,” he replied, his anger overtaking his fear. “Your offer, though most tempting, is not one I could afford on the budget I have for my business. As such, I cannot accept your terms.”

“Pity,” she said, fiddling with the amulet in her hand. “I _suppose_ I shall take my coin somewhere else. Perhaps a certain mining company? I’ll bet they would be happy to take my offer without a middle mer skimming off the top. A good day to you, sera.”

With that, she dropped the amulet onto his countertop and turned to leave him with his jaw clattering on the floor somewhere. This Telvanni was going to pull the rug right out from under him with such a dirty tactic! _He_ was the one who started that trade offer with the mining company, _he_ was the one that put in the time to find a good jeweler to process and clean up his gems, _he_ was the one who put in all this hard work and money and some _Telvanni witch_ was going to steal it from him?

But what could he really do? Were it one of her servants Navos could probably talk a bluestreak around them, but to a Telvanni Master’s face? Well, he might as well write out a will and clear out a space in the ancestral tomb while he’s at it. As he watched her walk away and further down the Balmora thoroughfare, he could feel all his work crumbling beneath his feet. 

He had to make a choice.

“Muthsera, wait!”

She stopped, paused, and slowly turned back towards him. It wasn’t apparent, but Navos could just feel a grin of victory over him as the Telvanni strolled back toward his stall. His hands dug groves into the countertop as she had the gall to lean against it as if she owned the damn thing.

“Yes, sera? Did you take a moment to reconsider my offer?”

“I… humbly accept your offer,” he carefully said between clenched teeth. “I would be most honored to be in your service, muthsera.”

“Then it is settled,” she replied. “I will send a letter with the details of our agreement within the week. I expect my first shipment next month and an invoice for my records. Pleasure working with you, sera.”

The Telvanni made to leave but paused, her eyes gazing over to the sapphire amulet she had abandoned earlier. With a quick motion, she slid the amulet into some pocket on her robe and replaced it with a coin purse.

“A sign of good faith,” she said as she left. “And hopes of a flourishing business in the coming years. Good day!”

And finally, she was gone. Navos collapsed into his chair the moment she was sucked up into the crowd and laid his head on his countertop. He replayed the whole conversation in his head over and over, wondering if at any point he could’ve saved himself from this fate. As he pondered on if it was too late to move house and family to the mainland his eyes laid on the coin purse.

Numbly, he reached out to scoop it closer and examine the contents. After a cursory look, his eyes nearly popped right out of his skull.

This was at least twice as much as he had priced that amulet for! And the woman just tossed aside the coin like it was nothing. Guess those rumors the Telvanni were hideously wealthy had some merit.

“I think I’m going to take lunch,” Navos said to no one in particular. He stashed the coin purse in his lockbox, stored the rest of his valuables, and wandered off to the Labor District of Balmora. He still needed to contemplate if this was a stroke of luck or a sign of hardship to come.

Time would only tell.


	2. The Rescued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special double feature, two chapters on one upload!
> 
> This particular one I wrote in one sitting, from 12am to 3am nonstop.
> 
> I passed out immediately right after. It was a good time.
> 
> Enjoy!

It was a risk to run at night, but it was a risk they were willing to take. Pash-Reev held tight onto Jun-Kai’s hand as they ducked behind a tall group of volcanic rock. They held their breath, watching the torchlight creep closer and closer. Just when they thought the fates had damned them, the light receded and they were plunged back into darkness.

No time to lose, they waited just enough time to not be caught in the backlight and quickly made their way into the water.

Whoever thought it was wise to enslave Argonians on a Telvanni Island surrounded by water was a fool. It was the only upper hand that the slaves had when escaping their cruel masters and it was to be exploited for their own escape. Pash-Reev was the first to break water, being careful to not cause a splash. Still holding onto her hand, Jun-Kai also entered the water and waded out into the depths with her. Once they were just about up to their chest in water, they both ducked and began to swim as fast as they could away.

It was a moonless night and they had to frequently break the surface to ensure they were going the right direction. So long as the torches of Sadrith Mora were behind them it was the right way.

They swam for hours, resting in the cradle of rocks and waves when their tails were sore and aching. When the sky began to turn a dusty blue they decided they were far enough away and it was safe to find shelter on land. They wobbled on sore legs, and their tails dragged in the ashy sand behind them. Jun-Kai, tired as he was, held Pash-Reev tight against him as he tried to rub some warmth into her arms. The shores of Vvardenfell provided ample amounts of caves, but all of them were open faced to the sea and that would be the first place their cruel masters would search for. So they walked further in-land and were lucky enough to find a little nook in some rocks that hid them from sight.

It was there that the pair rested, curled around each other. Too scared to speak, too tired to plan, they rested their eyes and waited until the sun rose and set before they felt it safe to run more.

It was Pash-Reev’s plan, this whole thing. Jun-Kai was a farming slave, set to work the muckspunge farms until his scales fell out. Pash-Reev was more of a troublemaker and was tossed between Masters as often as they could for each of her outbursts. At one of her last transfers ー a terrible salt farm where they set the workers under the bright sun while their hands and feet cracked away in the material ー Pash-Reev heard the slaves muttering about escaping to the land of another Telvanni Master.

Why any slave of the Telvanni would want to run into the arms of another was confusing enough, but rumors said that this one was different.

From what Pash-Reev could glean from the conversation, this was land owned by two sisters by the family name Alithar. If you could reach their land, then they would help any slave to get out of Vvardenfell. The only basis for these rumors were patchy at best, and a hail Mara at worst. Yet, some of it had to be true. Pash-Reev heard several accounts of slaves escaping and their masters later cursing that they could not retrieve them back from ‘those wretched Alithar twins’. When she was stationed as a broom made in Tel Naga, Pash-Reev would gossip with the inner slave-servants and learn the Council members often would curse and seeth at the mere mentioning of ‘Alithar’.

Yet Jun-Kai also heard rumors of these twin sisters. That they were wretched beings that practiced cursed magics, that one of them was a lich and the remaining sister was helping sustain the other, that they were unreasonable and vicious in getting what they wanted. The worse one was that the sisters were related to a gigantic debacle several years ago that resulted in the death of a Council member and that it led to their eventual rise to take over the seat. How two people could share one seat in the Council was beyond Jun-Kai’s mind, but one would have to be particularly cunning and vicious to climb their way up the Telvanni hierarchy by bloodshed alone.

But it was better than what they had. They would risk it all in a rumor that _might_ lead them to safety and freedom. It was better than the constant reality that they were lower than mud, that they were seen as nothing but beasts that were conveniently shaped for their dirty work. If the rumors turned out to be guar shit, then they would return back in chains to curse the Alithar’s in the dark corners of their cells to the other slaves to warn them.

That was if they could get to the Alithar lands. Between the two of them, they only guesstimate where this land was. Neither of them had access to maps or even knew how big Vvardenfell was. Pash-Reev could only remember all of the Telvanni towers she’s been sent to, so they avoided those as much as they could. The only other choice was to go further than those and hope they stumble onto friendly lands.

If the Alithar’s couldn’t help them, then no one will. They planned for months, gathering as much information as they could, watching patrols and scouting possible escape routes. Pash-Reev even played demure, acting as if the pressure of slavery had finally crushed her rebellion so that she could be relocated closer to Jun-Kai. If this whole plan didn’t work, she probably will fall into that void.

Then, when the moons went dark and the waters were still, they prayed to Sithis for a change in the rivers of fate and threw themselves into it.

It was now evening again, and Jun-Kai carefully roused Pash-Reev awake. They had to keep moving as much as they could. Master Telvanni mages employed cheap and dirty tricks to reclaim their slaves and it was only speed that would help them now. In the cover of darkness it would aid them, but only so long as the moons continued to stay dark. Like an eye slowly opening, if they did not hide from its light soon enough it would spell their end. So they ran again.

The hard thorns of bushes scratched against their scales and terrible noises in the darkness forced them to divert away from wild animals that would make a quick meal of them. All through this they never let go of each other. They were all they had, any semblance of hope laid in their joined hands. It was all that was keeping them afloat and they needed to believe in it if this had any chance of survival.

Sithis praised be that they made it through the night once more with a few cuts to show. The next hiding place was some awful Daedric ruin, all ashen stone and iron where the howling winds sounded like forlorn screams. They hid within some crumbled pillars, piling up more broken stone and an abandoned tarp to make a shelter. 

By the third day they were starting to hunger. It wasn’t an unknown feeling to them, their cruel Masters withholding food to tame their ‘wild’ slaves. They still needed sustenance if they were to survive out in the wilds. So they risked moving during the day, picking berries and roots as they saw. Jun-Kai even caught a small fish from a little pond they came across and they tore into it raw and let it’s life energy fill them.

They ran for two more days, each passing moment like a weight falling off their shoulders. They were starting to be hopeful, and Pash-Reev began to tell Jun-Kai all of the things she dreamed of doing.

“I want to return home. Someplace where no mage would dare set foot,” she told Jun-Kai. “I want no part of anything anymore. No mages, no bloody war. Somewhere so far where not even Daedra could find us.”

“Maybe we should go to Murkmire?” Jun-Kai suggested. “It’s the furthest away from Vvardenfell, and Lilmoth is always open to new blood.”

“Maybe. If… when we get to Blackmarsh, we should see everything on our way down. And if nothing suits us, we can go all the way to Murkmire.”

“That sounds perfect, Pash-Reev. I will make it so, for the both of us.”

When they rested again, it was with faint dreams of sunlight filtered through mangrove trees. The soothing taste of water in the air to keep them moist, and the comforting voice of the Hist calling their children to it again.

When it was morning, they rose again to travel. They had gone so long without any sign of Telvanni that Pash-Reev wanted to make a last gambit run. They had avoided all of the Towers they had seen up until this point, as it was the furthest she remembered being sent to.

“The next time we see one, we might have to risk it and see if it's this Alithar woman,” Pash-Reev said. “Anymore and I don’t know where we’ll end up. Will you be alright with this?”

“I will follow you so long as Sithis permits us to swim the same river. And if we are separated, I will find you again.”

They tightened their grip on each other, hands still intertwined, and rushed into the day. The land had transformed from a rocky volcanic savannah into something that almost resembled a forest. If the forest had mushrooms for trees and wheat like grass brushed up against their sides. Maybe it was the sense of security, maybe it was the long days of almost peace, maybe it was just fate itself that decided to turn when the both of them heard the distinct cry of a Dunmer behind them.

“We’re onto them, flush those lizards out!”

Jun-Kai didn’t hesitate and just ran, pulling Pash-Reev behind him. They weaved in and out between mushroom stalks and around jutting volcanic rocks. Behind them they could hear a growing crowd of Dumeri cries and the barking of nix-hounds. How were they so close, they had run for _so long_ , they couldn’t be caught now. 

Pash-Reev was tiring, he could feel it. He tugged her forward, putting himself behind her in case those worthless scum decided to try and shoot anything at them. Just in time, the whizzing of an arrow flew behind them and landed right where she was a second ago. The knowledge the Telvanni scum were willing to hurt them to get them back put a second-wind under their feet and they soon bursted through the forest of mushrooms into an open field.

There, in the distance, a Telvanni Tower! It was bulbous and twisted, like someone had taken two Towers and tied their stalks into each other. This had to be the Alithar lands, there had to be no other choice. Pash-Reev cried out, either in joy or in despair she didn’t know. It was _so close_ , but would they be able to reach it?

Her legs were starting to scream in agony, the hidden rocks in the grass cutting at the soft pads of her feet. Jun-Kai was putting himself in danger to keep her safe from the Telvanni guards. Yet they had to keep running, they _must_ keep running. They would either die here, or die years later when they were used up and tossed aside like broken tools. Pash-Reev would rather throw herself into the lava pits than suffer another day a slave. At least it would be under her own powers then.

They could see them now, the mushroom helms of the guards bursting out from the forest behind them. The open field left them no hiding places, no corners to turn and hide behind. Worst so, a number of the guards were mounted on guars, and the beasts carried them over land faster than their feet could ever hope to out run. At this rate they would be caught, and there was nothing they could do.

Pash-Reev began to curse right then and there. To any gods, Divine or Daedric or Sithis himself. Was this their fate to be used up, crushed under the thumb of people who thought so little of the lives under their control? Then she hoped they burned, washed under the weight of all the lives they had ruined, and their lands cursed for eras to come.

And fate decided to curse her right back. Because it was at this very moment she felt something caught around her ankle and forced her to tumble forward into the grass. And it was at this moment she let go of Jun-Kai’s hand.

She fell face first into the dirt, gravel cutting deep grooves into her scales. Jun-Kai stumbled behind her and wasted precious time trying to help her stand.

“Run, Jun-Kai!” she screamed at him. “Go, please, you have to run!”

“No! We are leaving together or we are caught together. I will not let you go!”

And as they both rose from the grass again, they turned to watch the approaching crowd nearly upon them. All they could do at that point was hold onto each other and wait.

The sound of something tearing rang in their ears, and a brilliant light blinded them as a portal ripped itself into existence before the two Argonians. When the light dissipated, a single Dunmeri figure stood before them with their back towards the two. Whomever this person was, their very sight forced every Telvanni guard to stop in their tracks. The nix-hounds, hungry for blood and excited by the chase, ran for the Argonians.

This person merely raised a hand and flicked their wrist, caused every nix-hound to suddenly stop in their tracks and meekly lay down. The person gazed upon the crowd surrounding them before speaking.

“Endoro, I thought I told you to never set foot on my lands again,” she said. “You failed to listen the first time, I won’t let this second infringement pass without consequences.”

Endoro, the leader of this recapture party, hissed at this woman that now blocked him and his men from the two escaped slaves.

“They are escaped property, and our Master wishes for their ‘safe’ return. I am merely here to collect.”

“Property? What I saw were two people fleeing for their lives and being runned down by you and your men for sport! As it stands now, they are on my lands and are under my protection and rules. And my rules state that none of _your kind_ are allowed here. Now get out of here with all your limbs attached before I lose my temper.”

The two Argonians couldn’t believe their eyes. After the shock of not being run down by the slavers began to ebb from their minds, they examined this woman before them.

Dressed in overlapping metal plates with a leather robe that ended at her knees, she looked woefully under dressed when standing up against fully geared Telvanni guards. Yet she _had_ to be a Telvanni Master, no other person could summon a portal in the middle of nowhere. And she didn’t seem at all intimidated by the force standing in front of her. If her tone of voice had anything to say, this was a semi common occurrence she was none too happy to entertain.

“Our Master would be most displeased at the loss of his property, to your lands no doubt,” Endoro hissed at her.

“And I lost my favorite quill last time I visited Master Gothren’s Tower, but you don’t see me burning it down to find it again. I will not repeat myself, leave these lands or I will _make_ you leave.”

“You will regret this, Lorana! Mark my words!” Endoro cried out. That seemed to be the last straw because the Telvanni Master snapped her fingers and a blinding light erupted where Endoro last was. When it twitched and blinked out of existence the guard was nowhere to be seen.

“A trip to Ashlander lands should be punishment enough. Let’s see him walk all the way around Red Mountain while trying to stay alive,” the Telvanni Master muttered under her breath. “Does anyone else want a free trip across Vvardenfell? I hear Red Mountain is _lovely_ this time of year!”

Not wanting to suffer an untimely death by volcano, the rest of the guards turned and retreated without another word. She waited until they were out of sight and back into the mushroom forest before turning to the two Argonians.

“Are you two alright?” she asked. The booming and venomous tone of voice she held for the Telvanni guards was now soft and quiet; like a mother soothing a hurt child. Pash-Reev nodded slowly while Jun-Kai tightened his grip on her as the Telvanni approached them.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” the Telvanni reassured, stopping in her tracks. “My name is Lorana Alithar, Master of these lands. I’m going to teleport us back to my Tower. It’s going to be a little disorientating and I need you to keep a strong grip on me. Can you manage that?”

They looked at each other, unbelieving of the situation before them. Pash-Reev could feel Jun-Kai take a deep breath before nodding. She did the same and they each extended one hand out to the Telvanni.

“Ok. Keep a firm grip on me and each other. On three… two... one.”

In an instance, the three of them were swallowed up in a blinding light and immediately felt the ground beneath them shift. What was once dirt and gravel was now a polished tile floor. The sun was replaced with several torches and magelights illuminating a room. The two were guided to sit down on a couch, softer than silk and more plush than anything they had ever sat down in their whole time enslaved.

“Deep-Waters!” the Telvanni Master called out. “I got the two escapees. Can you prepare them a bath? And send for something easy for them to eat.”

Jun-Kai looked up to see another Argonian nearby, but not one dressed in rags and chains. This one was a brilliant green Argonian woman, dressed in basic serving clothes but with no holes or tears on them. She jumped to follow the orders of the Telvanni Master and disappeared behind a door in an instance.

“Right, food will be brought to you soon. Deep-Waters will show you the bath and the rooms you will be resting in,” the Telvanni Master began to explain. “Tell her anything you need, and she’ll get them to you.”

“Are you… really the Alithar?” Pash-Reev spoke up. “Are we…”

The Telvanni Master, no, Lorana nodded and softly smiled at them.

“Yes, I am Lorana Alithar. I’m sure the rumors have said that if you reach our lands, we can help you escape. And they are true.”

Pash-Reev sucked in a deep breath, fighting the tears. Jun-Kai nearly cried in relief, tucking his head against Pash-Reev’s and holding her tight in his arms.

They had made it. Against all odds they made it. They would be free people once more and would listen to no Masters ever again.

“I can help you get off Vvardenfell and to anywhere you wish to be,” Lorana continued. “Or if you have no place to go… you can reside here in my Tower and work here for pay and proper rights until you wish to leave. Just say the word.”

And here it was, the choice was here. All their hopes and dreams, ready to be taken. The two newly freed slaves looked down at their intertwined hands, held together in an unbroken grip, and the promise that grip held. And they never had to break it ever again.

“Murkmire,” Pash-Reev said. “We would like to return home, back to Murkmire.”

“Then it shall be done,” Lorana answered. “When you are well and rested, I will send word of a ship to send you straight there. Worry yourselves no longer, you are safe now.”

And they would be, for the rest of their lives. They would be free people once more to walk in the swamps of their homeland. And they would always be thankful for that one Telvanni who defied all logic and saved them from fate.


End file.
